OneShift Car Of The Year 2022: The Winners

Last week, we revealed the nine finalists for the highly coveted Best Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Car, Best Hybrid Car and Best Electric Car categories.

We are now pleased to share the three winners out of the nine.

Click here to see the full list of winners including scores.

Gold: Audi RS 3
Silver: Porsche 911 GT3
Bronze: BMW M240i Coupe

The highly capable M240i Coupe received the Bronze award for its impeccable manners and wide breadth of capabilities, but the other two cars were on an even greater level of performance. The Porsche might seem like the obvious winner to many with its royalty of an engine, but its evolutionary progress ultimately was pipped by the incredible quantum leap that the new RS 3 makes. With crucial additions to its technological armoury, the Audi is now a very complete four door compact sports car – and probably one of the very best out there. So good, in fact, that it’s our winner for Best ICE Car Of 2022.

Gold: Kia Niro Hybrid
Silver: Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid
Bronze: Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

It’s the Koreans who seem to have made hybrids that made us stand up and pay attention this year. The RAV4, while being a perfectly good choice, had an engine that made itself felt more whenever it was called upon, despite returning the best fuel efficiency of the three. It is a close call between the Hyundai and the Kia. Both impressed with their responsive and smooth drivetrains, the Santa Fe perhaps more so due to its turbocharged engine - but it is also quite pricey in this climate. Therefore, it is the Niro that takes home the prize of Best Hybrid Car Of 2022 due to it offering a relatively refined, and engaging, experience for a larger number of potential buyers.

Gold: BYD Atto 3
Silver: BMW i4 eDrive40
Bronze: Audi e-tron GT

All three EVs in consideration here are excellent cars in their own right. The e-tron GT has eerily good comfort despite its low-slung, sporty outlook, and dispatches its power effectively and brutally. However, its interior and boot space aren’t class leading, and it also feels the heat next to its posher sibling from Stuttgart, the Taycan, which is priced competitively and is offered in a simpler rear wheel drive specification in Singapore.

In contrast, the BMW i4 eDrive40 stands on its own with its sporty, chic exterior, which is equally matched with its right-sized drivetrain that gives the fun you need without attracting unnecessarily high tax with its single motor setup to the rear. It has a well designed interior and is surprisingly practical with its liftback, too.

However, it is the BYD that impressed even more with a ‘homerun’ on a product that has no precedence of success. It feels as well-built as most cars from Continental Europe, has proprietary battery technology that is highly effective in practice (range, efficiency and power) and has clever originality that hasn’t been seen from the brand until now. And all this in an EV that’s one of the most affordable in Singapore. It’s an easy win for the Atto 3.

There is a final winner we have yet to reveal, and that’s the overall OneShift Car Of The Year 2022. The Audi RS 3, Kia Niro Hybrid and BYD Atto 3 are currently being cross-tested more extensively by the jury and the decision will come in the coming weeks. Hold on tight!

We would also like to recognise cars that have ranked the top in each criteria we have considered when assessing nominees for COTY. Here are the vehicles that made their mark:

It’s a facelifted model and so has been in the market for a few years now, but get behind the wheel of the Giulia and it’ll sparkle at the first turn, every time. Absolutely poised, balanced and confidence inspiring, the Alfa Romeo still leads clearly in the segment for handling and is a real master class in chassis setup.

Link to review

Mazda has engineered the CX-5 to cause minimal movement to its occupants’ heads while riding over uneven surfaces, and it really works. How they managed to do this with passive and mechanical suspension is remarkable, which is why it’s a winner for comfort.

Link to review

It may only be a 4-cylinder turbo with a mild hybrid system, but all criticism ebbs away when the engine bangs through the gears with gusto and feel. How Maserati has made a relatively generic engine setup this engaging is nigh on impressive, sitting head-and-shoulders above any other I4 types we’ve tested this year.

Link to review

The smell, the textures and the exquisite materials all make the Flying Spur’s interior not just impeccably well-made, but also one that engages all the senses unlike any other. It’s built to German standards too, despite being resolutely British.

Link to review

It’s a sports car that is effortlessly fast, yet has loading capacity for everything and the kitchen sink. It’ll also have plenty of space for all passengers too, at the same time. Need we say more?

Link to review

There’s no better representation of Audi’s rock solid reputation for quality than in the A8/S8 class. The fact that the car reminds us of the Mercedes W126, an engineering marvel from the 1980s that borders on obsession, is telling. Go on, open the doors and sit inside, you’d think you’ve entered a bank vault.

Link to review

Land Rover has thought of every conceivable luxury in the Range Rover. There’s no denying that this is a sheer technological tour-de-force that makes it one of the most luxurious ways to travel through any sort of terrain. You could spend hours in the interior poring through every little feature made to maximise comfort, or use all available means to get over the next mountain facing you.

Link to review

Cutting out the dealer in the equation has made Teslas unbeatable in value, as many aficionados would attest to you if you just hop onto the Facebook fan group. And to be fair, it is dead true. There’s just no escaping the math – the margins are thinner here than anywhere else, and it’s really wu hua.

Link to review

The first Volvo model in history designed as pure electric only, and also the first to be completely leather-free - using naturally renewable wool fibres or recycled suede textile. But wait, there’s more - the C40 Recharge’s topography trim panels are partly made of recycled plastic, while its carpets are made of 100% recycled PET plastic bottles.

Link to review

One standout feature of the Lexus NX is its seating position. Adjust yourself to the ideal position and you’d find your ankle perched at rest in perfect angles to the throttle and brake pedals. This little detail is hard to get right, and trust Lexus to make it a point to look into it while other brands simply miss this out. It adds a layer of comfort to the car that’s unseen, but very obvious to the driver.

Link to review